Friend or foe? The Marine unit 'Reapers'
by Tolen
Summary: The Galactica meets with a fleet of colonial ships, most of them Marines and some pilots who escaped from Aerelon. There is a special surprise for Tigh and a new interesting possibility for Starbuck. And lots of Cylons, of course.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Friend or foe - The Marine unit 'Reapers'

**Timeline:** This takes place after New Caprica and I would say even after the third season.

**Summary:** Galactica meets a unknown fleet which claims to be a Colonial one. After they met some surprises and new dangers are programmed.

**Rated:** T for language and eventually violence.

**Disclaimer:** No, unfortunately I do not own Battlestar Galactica.

English is not my native language, so if there are mistakes, please tell my and try to forgive.

* * *

Life on a Battlestar could be boring, especially after a certain time. Everyone knows the workflows, his job and the people working with him. Colonel Tigh was no exception. After his time on New Caprica and the period when he was constantly trying to out-drink Starbuck and to demoralize the other pilots, he had managed to get himself together and to get back to work. After a couple of weeks he was surprised himself how easy it seemed to him to act as the Old Man's XO again. Of course, people still thought of him as the one-eyed, drinking and unstable old bastard, who only got the job because of his friendship with the older Adama and he never made the attempt to correct them. Basically because he didn't gave a damn about other people's opinion. 

But because Saul Tight had changed since he had left the fleet and settled down on that godsdamned planet. Since Ellen's death he had become cold, unfeeling and much more short-tempered than he had already been. The Old Man knew, but he didn't intervene, because Tigh was much better in his job now then he was all the years before. He didn't show up drunk anymore and his reactions were quicker and his orders given at once, which made the Admiral's life much easier. But Adama knew, too, that at the end of his shift, his old friend would go back to his quarters where he would sit at his desk, looking at a picture of himself and his wife while drinking some of the chief's brew.

Starbuck was the only other person who knew, too, that the coldness was but a mask he let drop a soon as nobody else was around. If somebody would have told him before the occupation of New Caprica, that Kara Thrace would become his confidant one day, he would have laughed. But also the blonde pilot had changed. Somehow she and Galactica's XO had found a similar way of life, meaning to drink themselves half to death after they had returned from New Caprica and to clean up their lives together after that by helping each other. They had suffered down there and they were still suffering, but the former opponents who had never missed a chance to get at each other's throat now had established somewhat of a friendship. When the nights became to long and the memories to strong they would go to each other's quarters or bunk and wake up the other and together they would spend half of the night walking trough Galactica's empty hallways, talking about what happened to them or just sit together in his quarters and drink themselves into the oblivion. Tigh smiled silently while thinking of how that blond vixen had become his friend. If there were Gods, they must be laughing.

"DRADIS contact!" Felix Gaeta's alarming voice brought him back to the reality at once. Quickly he looked at the screen and discovered some red contacts, still at some distance from the fleet. But Cylon raiders were fast.

"Action stations! Launch alert Vipers! Dee, alert the fleet! We're jumping to escape coordinates Omega! Start the clock on my order only!" Dualla looked at him and nodded, but he saw the slight surprise in her eyes. She was one of the crewmembers who still weren't accustomed to this new Colonel Tigh who could react quickly and whose orders were firm. Some seconds later she announced the alert throughout the ship and the fleet.

"Who's on CAP?"

"Apollo, Hotdog and Athena, Sir!"

"Tell them to get between this contacts and the fleet, right now!"

"Aye, Sir!"

"What happened?" The Admiral had entered CIC.

"Multiple DRADIS contacts, some clicks away", Tigh informed his superior and friend. "I ordered the fleet to prepare to jump, alert Vipers are launched this very moment and the CAP is getting into position to slow down an attack."

"We'll wait until the fleet has jumped, then call our Vipers home." Adama had his usual expressionless face on, but Tigh knew he was worried about Lee being out there, he always was.

"Sir", Dee said at this moment, "There are about ten contacts now, but I can't identify them. There are no Cylon transponders, but I get an incoming call from one of the unknown ships, Colonial frequency."

Tigh and Adama exchanged an astonished look, then the Admiral said: "Put them trough!" and picked up the handset, Tigh did the same. "Identify yourself!"

_'To the unknown vessels using colonial transponders, identify yourself'_, he got instantly as an answer.

"This is Admiral Adama from the Battlestar Galactica. Who is this?"

For some seconds there was nothing and Adama almost hung up, when the voice spoke again.

_'This is Major Talos, Colonial Marine Corps.'_

"That's a frakking lie!" Tigh hissed.

"Can you give us any prove that you're saying the truth?" Adama wanted to know ignoring his XO.

_'Negative'_, came the answer and the sarcastic tone could not be missed. _'Can you prove you're really a colonial fleet?'_

"The alert Vipers have joined the CAP, Sir", Dee announced into the following silence. "They are asking for instructions and so is the fleet."

"Everybody's holding position", Tigh commanded. "We have to know what's going on.'

"I suggest you let our Vipers identify your fleet per visual, Major" Adama spoke finally into his handset. "Then we'll see what to do further."

Everybody in CIC was waiting nervously for the answer of the unknown speaker.

'Could this really be a new contact?' Tigh thought.

_'Negative!'_ The voice over the comm. was firm and hard. _'I can't let you come near my ships! One of my Raptors will come to you and identify YOUR fleet.'_

"Your Raptor will be expected and checked by our CAP", Adama finally agreed. "Start your bird in five minutes. The rest of your ships will hold their position, anything else will be considered as a threat to this fleet. Adama, out."

The Admiral hung up the headset and turned to his XO.

"Prepare everything in the hangar bay, Colonel. If the Raptor is clean, we will let them land and you will contact these supposed Marines. If not, we will blow this thing out of the sky and jump!"

Tigh nodded shortly and left.

"Dee, order the fleet on standby, we must be ready to jump at all times. Tell Apollo he will have a visitor!" The petty officer nodded but she seemed very worried. She hadn't heard the whole conversation and she didn't understand why they weren't jumping right now.

"Mister Gaeta, bring us between the fleet and the unknown signals! Everybody stays on their posts."

* * *

While Gaeta supervised the steersman moving the Galactica to protect the fleet against the unknown vessels, the alert fighters along with Apollo and Athena in her Raptor waited impatiently for something to happen. Exactly five minutes after the Admiral had ended his conversation with 'Major Talos' a single contact appeared on the DRADIS and moved fast towards the waiting Vipers.

"Apollo to all", Lee said, as soon as he saw the new signal. "Weapons hold! Do open fire only at my, I repeat, only at my order!"

The other pilots confirmed and not a minute later Lee saw the distant silhouette of a Raptor flying towards him and his squadron.

"Hotdog, Kat, get behind him, but don't do anything else!"

The two young pilots powered their engines and flew past the unidentified Raptor, then turned around and following it, both in a perfect position to shoot. The transporter slowed down and approached until it was exactly in front of Lee's Viper. He could see the figure of the pilot trough the canopy.

_'This is Lieutenant Durant, I'm piloting this Raptor'_, Lee heard trough his helmet. The voice was loud and clear, but he could hear the anxiety in the pilot's voice. The man was afraid, Lee thought. The pilot continued: _'I have order to identify your fleet. I request permission to pass!'_

"This is Major Adama. Hold your position, Lieutenant, we will scan you", Lee ordered. "Athena, what do you see?"

There were some seconds of silence, until Sharon answered.

_'There are eight people, including the pilot. No explosives, no sign of a bomb or the like. They're clear, Apollo.'_

"Got that. Lieutenant Durant, you will follow me now. Don't try to alter your heading or we will destroy you without further warning. Did I make myself absolutely clear?"

_'Roger that, I'm on your tail, Major.'_

* * *

"Clear this flight deck, NOW!" Colonel Tighs voice shouted. The last specialists remaining on the deck hurried to leave, partly because they all knew about Tigh's temper but also because they had been told an unknown Raptor would arrive soon and none of them wanted to be here when a welcome party of cylon Centurions appeared. Only Chief Tyrol and another man rested at the control panel to supervise the Raptors docking.

"My men are in position, Colonel."

Tigh looked at marine Lieutenant Hogan standing at his side and nodded shortly. Apollo had informed the CIC that there was nothing suspicious about the incoming shuttle, but still Adama and Tigh knew that illusion and treachery were the Cylon's best weapons. So a squad of marines were ready to intervene at every second. They were fully armed and hidden across the whole deck but still Tigh didn't feel safe. After all it was him who would meet these visitors first.

"They're landing…landed…now rolling to the gate. Okay, they're in, we've got them, Sir!", Tyrol said calmly without looking away from his panel. "They're coming in now."

The Raptor appeared behind the window of the security bulkhead and waited until the airlock was clear, then the bulkhead opened and Tigh felt a little bit of the coldness of space floating trough the hangar deck. The Raptor rolled just out of the airlock, then came to a halt about twenty meters from Tigh's position and then…

Nothing.

"What are they waiting for?" asked the marine nervously and Tigh noticed his hand trembling slightly.

'I don't know' he wanted to say but in this very moment the Raptor opened his hatch and a single man set his foot on the deck's ground. He wore the black battle dress of the Colonial Marine Corps, a standard rifle lay in his hands and a sidearm was in his holster. He looked cruddy, unshaven and his uniform seemed to be a very used one. The man looked over the whole deck but didn't seem to spot Galactica's marines. Finally he appeared to be satisfied and waved his hand towards the Raptor. Another man with similar feature showed up.

Tigh gave the pre-decided signal and Hogan slowly approached the two of them. He changed some words with the second man and they all visibly relaxed, then Hogan pointed towards Tigh. The first man, who had left the Raptor nodded, then took the rifle and the sidearm of the second one and re-entered the Raptor. The last now unarmed remaining 'visitor' who appeared to be a Captain, if Tigh read his dirty insignias correctly, exchanged another few words with Lieutenant Hogan, then the two of them started to walk towards Tigh who still observed the whole scene suspiciously.

When they were about ten meters away the visitor stopped and looked unbelievingly at Tigh. Hogan came to a halt too and changed an alarmed glance with the Colonel, hands on his gun, then looked back to the still staring Captain.

He was young, Tigh thought, now that he could see the man closer. Way too young for a Captain. He looked thin under the uniform, as if he hadn't had much to eat in a while, and he definitely needed a shower. His eyes were grey and intelligent, but in this very moment all he could see in them was a mixture of surprise, suspiciousness and fear. Everything had gone so easily, what was wrong now?

Finally the Captain hesitantly spoke and Tigh almost jumped at the words:

"Uncle Saul?" The voice was hoarse and anxious. "Is that you?"

* * *

_Well, now, do you see the the little button at the right? The one with 'Go'? Yeah? Please push it!_


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you all for your reviews. I didn't think I would get so many. I'm glad you enjoyed it and apparently my English is not that bad.

Now: First of all: No, Starbuck is not dead and she will appear later. I live in Europe and here the third Season has not been released yet. And godsdammit I hope she does not really die!!!

There will be a little bit of theorie and talking now, don't get impatient, it won't last long ;)

So, enought talking. Thank you again and I hope you're still interested. Here we go!

* * *

Tigh stood there, frozen. There had not been many people in his life who had called him like this. Without showing an emotion he studied the young marine Captain's face and something seemed familiar to him, but he couldn't point it out nor did he remember a name. The young Captain took a step forward ignoring that Lieutenant Hogan released the safety on his gun.

"Is that really you?" The voice was but a whisper by now and Tigh heard the mere desperation of a man who had taken too much in the past and now was afraid to be disappointed again.

"I'm Colonel Tigh", he said and tried not to show his incertitude. This Captain looked like…no, that wasn't possible. He must be dead by now. "I'm the XO of this ship and I…"

"You're alive!" The young man said as if he hadn't heard him. He sounded as if he was going to break down soon. "By the Gods, you're really alive!"

"Who are you?" Tigh finally couldn't control his own voice anymore. This wasn't possible!

"Don't you recognise me?" The Captain took another step and Hogan raised his weapon but was uncertain what to do. "It's me!"

"Michael?" Tigh whispered.

The Captain nodded hopefully and Tigh finally admitted his feelings to take control over his wariness and caution. He stepped forward and embraced the Marine. Lieutenant Hogan starred at him in astonishment, but still didn't lower his rifle. Tigh didn't care. He hold the young man tight for some more seconds, as if to be sure this was real and not another dream, then took a step back and looked in a face now full of joy and newly found hope.

"By the Gods, I didn't hope for it. You are really welcome on board the Galactica, Captain", the Colonel finally said. Then after some moments of silence he managed to add: "I didn't think I would see you again."

"Neither did I." Michael had his voice under control again. They had to talk later, both of them knew this was neither the right place nor the right time. "So this is really the Galactica under Adama's command."

"Yes, it is. I have to inform him that everything is clear."

"Does that mean I can tell my fleet to come closer?"

"I have to ask first, but yes, I think so. Wait a second."

Tigh went over to Tyrol, ignoring the man's asking glance, and took up the handset.

"CIC, this is Colonel Tigh. Get me Actual!"

"_This is Adama."_ The Admiral's voice was as calm as always. _"Is everything okay down there?"_

"Yes, it is", Tigh confirmed. "I propose we let them transmit to their fleet to come closer and then we will scan them and integrate them in the fleet, as soon as we have talked to the commanding officer."

"_Not that fast, Saul."_ Bill Adama sounded surprised. _"What makes you think this is safe?"_

"I know one of the men."

"_Which one?"_

"A marine Captain. He's here, we've talked."

"_How come you know him?"_

"We know each other since a long time. It's him and I'm sure there is no problem at the moment…"

"_Saul"_, Adama's voice was still calm, but there was this undertone, the one that said 'don't even try to change the subject!' Tigh closed his eyes. This wasn't going to be easy. Adama repeated: _"How come you know him?"_

The Colonel sighed and looked over his shoulder at the Captain and Lieutenant Hogan, who still seemed to be very nervous. No, this was definitely not going to be easy. He gripped the handset tighter.

"He's my nephew, Bill."

* * *

William Adama had never been a patient man although his crew often thought of him to be. He could control his impatience that was it. He had learned to control nearly all of his feelings, but he knew himself and he felt the urge to go down to the hangar and meet his XO right now. Nevertheless he stood in CIC, calm and steady, and waited for Tigh to enter with one of his new visitors.

'Nephew' Bill thought, 'he has never told me about his family or relatives. I don't like it.'

Still the contacts of the new fleet were marked red, marked enemy and the Admiral had every bird available in the sky. Laura Roslin had called him and asked a few questions, but Bill had made it quite clear that he wasn't going to accept an intervention from the government. This was a military issue and he was determined to retain control over it.

The visiting Raptor was still in the hangar, guarded by his Marines. Everywhere throughout the ship his guards were posted at the vital points and sections of the vessel and they had the order to arrest everyone who tried to do anything uncommon.

Adama looked up from his table when he noticed that somebody had entered the CIC. It was Tigh. He looked a little bit troubled, but controlled his facial expression nearly perfect. He was accompanied by a group of six Marines who escorted a young man in the uniform of a Captain who looked quite exhausted but whose eyes searched the room attentively.

"Admiral", Tigh stood now before him. "It's him."

The older Adama just nodded and Tigh stepped back while the Marine Captain stood at attention:

"Captain Michael Tigh, second Aerelon Division, at your command, Sir!"

"At ease, Captain", Adama said. He was aware of the fact that most of the crew shot them curious looks when they heard the name 'Tigh'. "I will not ask you too many questions now; we've been way too long in this sector. My XO told me that you told us the truth. Apparently you really are a colonial fleet."

"Refugees would strike the right note, Admiral", Captain Tigh answered with a sly grin, then glanced over the room. "If I'm not mistaken you're preparing to jump. With your permission I will send the coordinates to my superior and we can meet in another sector. Our ships will of course stay at a safe distance."

"I can live with that, Captain, but I want to meet Major Talos as soon as we have completed the jump. All our radio communication might have caught the Cylon's attention. Dee, call Major Talos' ship and bring our Vipers home, Mr. Gaeta, you will transmit the jump coordinates. Whole fleet, prepare to jump!"

* * *

Later that day:

"I'm sure you agree this was a quite exhausting day." Despite her words Laura Roslin didn't look tired. "As I've already been told by Admiral Adama your ships have been scanned and controlled by Galactica's Marines and until now there were no problems."

"We still keep a distance to the rest of the fleet and CAP keeps an eye on our ships, but it's as I said earlier to the Admiral: We are no threat to this fleet. We are but happy to have found you."

Captain Tigh sat in the chair opposite the president of the Twelve Colonies, but he looked like he could use some hours of proper sleep. He had spent the whole day in Galactica's CIC, coordinating the movements of his ships, the controls and communications and when the fleet finally was at a safe distance from the last contact with the Cylons and Adama was convinced this was not a Cylon trap he had had a talk with the Admiral and his officers, telling them the basic facts. And now he was on Colonial One, talking to the President and telling her nearly exactly the same story.

"I know you must be tired, Captain", Roslin said with compassion, "but there are rumours throughout the fleet and I have to tell the people what's going on. So please, could you give me some information about your ships so I can assure the people everything is all right?

"Of course, Madam President" Michael Tigh replied and sighed. "Well, there's not much to tell. Most of us were based at the Cainal Base on Aerelon when the attacks began. Almost all of our division was destroyed in the first wave of the bombings, the survivors gathered afterwards and we hid in the mountains for the first two months. Colonel Spikes then led our first counter strikes against the Cylons and so we fought them day after day. The colonel was killed some months ago while we tried to capture some of the human Cylon models and that was when Major Talos took command. We received the information about a Colonial fleet fleeing from the Cylon forces and so Talos decided to steal the civilian ships at the spaceport the Cylons hadn't destroyed. We managed to get seventeen vessels, most of them freighters and other transporters and so we escaped the planet and since then we have been trying to find you."

"You captured seventeen vessels", Roslin said. "But you showed up here with but ten."

"It wasn't an easy journey, Madam President." The Captains voice was full of suppressed emotions. Roslin nodded.

"I'm very sorry for your losses, Captain." She was rewarded with a cold stare, but she knew it wasn't meant for her, but for the men this young officer had lost. "I still have to know how many men Major Talos has under his command, Captain. It doesn't happen very often that I can change this number for the good." She pointed at the tablet showing the numbers of human survivors in the fleet.

"There are one thousand eight hundred and five men and woman, Madam President. Ten ships, mostly freighters, as I said, some Vipers and Raptors. I do not know the exact number, but I can ask our CPO. We have sixty-seven Marines, twenty Viper pilots,eight Raptor pilots. The rest are specialists and staff from the division or civilians who had joined us. There would be more if we…" His voice broke.

"There would be more if what, Captain." This man was still so young, Roslin thought. And yet he was a Captain who felt responsible for his men and still, the longer she talked to him the more the former teacher saw a trouble and almost broken man. Finally he looked up and continued:

"There would be more if we would have got more ships, Ma'am. We had to leave so many of our men behind. I only wish we could have taken them with us."

"I think you have done everything possible, Captain." Roslin finally managed to say. "This was a long day, Captain, I suppose, you fly back to Galactica and we meet again tomorrow. I'd like to talk to Major Talos then too."

"I'm sorry, Madam President", Michael Tigh said and rose from his chair, "but Major Talos will not be able to come here. He suffered a severe injury and it's not possible to transport him."

"How severe?"

"He will die, probably within days." The answer was brief and quite cold, Roslin thought.

"Perhaps Doctor Cottle could…"

"We have a very good doctor on our ship, Ma'am", the Captain said and shook his head. "It is too late."

"Then who will be in charge?"

"That would be me, Ma'am. With your permission I'd like to go back to Galactica now, there's still plenty of work to do."

"Of course. Ah, Captain, one last question!"

He nodded.

"Are you related to Colonel Tigh, Galactica's XO?"

"Yes, I am. He's my uncle. Why?"

Roslin finally smiled. "That's good news, Captain, very good news. Thank you for your time and now please go and get some rest, you really look like you need it."

"Yes, Ma'am, thank you!"

* * *

Okay, that was short and perhaps not that fast. Hey, I have to warm up first :) okay, please review, okay? yes? THANK YOU!!! 


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you very much for your review, Darlian.

I know I haven't posted for some time, but being in the service and writing a fanfiction does need its time. Although I hope your still reading it.

* * *

"He wants to see you, Captain. Alone."

Michael Tigh looked worriedly at the Marine, nodded and opened the hatch.

"I've been expecting you, Captain", a voice said from the bed. It sounded tired.

"I'm sorry, Major, I've tried to come earlier, but there is so much work to do, it wasn't possible." The young Tigh stepped closer to his superior. The Major was laying in his bed, blanket up to his chin. He was pale and cold sweat covered his face. Major Andreas Talos had been a strong man, a confident and hard one. He had led the refugees through all dangers and against every threat to safety, to Galactica, but now all Michael could see was a dying man. It had happened nearly a week ago, when a Cylon Heavy Raider had avoided their defence and had crashed into Talos' flagship, the _Autumn of War_. The Centurions quickly spread throughout the whole vessel. Talos himself had tried to stop them from entering the CIC and one of those frakking toasters had gashed him.

They had managed to destroy all of those damned metal-heads but their leader, the man who had kept them going on, who was regarded as father and protector of their small fleet, was nearly dead and hadn't stopped dying since. According to the doctor it was a miracle he had made it that long.

"I didn't say you should neglect your duty, Captain" Talos said, but smiled weakly. "Tell me, what happened?"

"I was talking to the president, Admiral Adama and his officers and…and the press."

"The press?" For a moment a shadow appeared in Talos' eyes, but he rested calm. "Yes, I've heard they did not declare Martial Law. Will that be a problem for you, Captain?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play with me, Mike" Talos warned, "We've declared Martial Law as soon as we had gathered together on Aerelon and it worked well. Apparently Adama has made it until here without doing so and I want to know if you have a problem with that fact."

"Of course not, Sir!" Michael nearly snapped to attention when he heard the sudden strength in his CO's voice again. "It will probably need some time to adjust, but you know your men well enough, there won't be a problem."

"My men" Talos nodded and another smile appeared on his face but his eyes were serious. "I'll be gone, Captain, I'll probably not survive the night and I don't have a problem with that. My time has come. But you'll stay here, you'll continue the journey and you'll have to adjust to a new commanding officer, more civilians and different rules. Soldiers need a leader, Captain, and I can't be this leader any longer. There's something on my desk for you."

With a curious expression on his face Michael Tigh turned around and saw a small black box on the table. He picked it up and turned around again to face his superior.

"Well, open it, Captain, it's not a bomb."

With a nervous grin Michael did as he was told and inhaled sharply.

"It nothing but fair" Talos eventually said. "You were always at my side, you never left, you never second-gazed. You took more responsibility than I could've asked and you were my second in command through all this time. Our men will need a leader, I give you that. The civilians will be integrated in the fleet, you won't have to worry about them anymore, but our pilots and our marines will be transferred to Galactica where they'll have to face a totally new chain of command and other rules. They will need somebody they can rely on."

"But why me?" The young Tigh finally gave in and took a seat. "I was a Lieutenant when the war started. I was never at the War College, I've never learned how to lead men."

"That is something you can't learn. You respect those under your command, that's why they respect you and why Colonel Spikes made you Captain. You're intelligent, brave and loyal and you never expect your men to do something you wouldn't do yourself. I've talked to the Admiral. You will command the Marines onboard the Galactica and you'll be responsible for the ships internal security. I do not say it will be easy, because it certainly won't, but we did not enlist because we wanted an easy life. And now take those insignias and put them on, you've been a Captain way too long. Congratulations, Major Tigh!"

Without a word Michael Tigh removed the Captain's insignias from his uniform and put those of a Major on.

"I…I don't know what to say, Sir."

"Then don't. I know you soon have a meeting with Adama and your uncle, go and prepare yourself. By the way, I'm glad you finally found somebody from your family. And now go, please, I'm really tired. We can talk later. Dismissed!"

"Aye, Sir!" Michael Tigh said, stood at attention and saluted. When he opened the hatch and wanted to leave, Talos held him back.

"Mike!" The younger Tigh turned around. "Don't forget. You're a member of the Colonial Marine Corps, but you're also one of the SRTS. Adama is an Admiral, but everyone has its limits. If he tries to destroy what we kept safe until now, don't forget you swore an oath!"

"I won't!" Michael assured firmly and nodded, then left.

* * *

**Two Days later**

"It's impressive!" Captain Kara 'Starbuck' Thrace said and arranged the cards in her hand, then took a drag of her cigar.

"What do you mean?" Racetrack shoot her a curious glance then looked at her own hand and nearly swore. Starbuck would teach her a good lesson tonight. They were sitting in the rec room and playing Triad but the Raptor pilot had a strange feeling in her stomach, as if something was going to happen this evening.

"That they made it until here", Starbuck answered. "I've covered one of the Raptors when we were going to search their ships. They have no flak or even anti-ship-guns. They've taken three freighters and an old military transporter, the _Autumn of War_ I think, and somehow they've managed to install some sorts of hangar bays in those scrap heaps. All they could do when the Cylons appeared was launching their Vipers and wait with these four ships until the rest of the fleet had jumped. Must have been one hell of a trip!"

"But where did they get all their stuff?" This was Hotdog. "I've talked to one of our Marines. He said they have more ammo on one of their ships than we have on Galactica. And mass of other stuff, infantry equipment and so on. Where did they get that if they had to steal these vessels from the Cylons?"

"Perhaps one of them knew a secret dump. I've heard some special forces of the Marines have them and not even the higher command centres knew their exact location so didn't the Cylons."

"Yeah, these frakking infantrymen always had some extras" Starbuck laughed.

"Watch your mouth, Captain!" said an unknown voice from behind her. She looked over her shoulder and saw a young woman in a flight suit, Kara remembered her to be one of the Raptor pilots of the refugee fleet. One of many new faces on Galactica these days. "These frakking infantrymen got us of Aerelon."

"No reason to be sassy, _Lieutenant_!" meant Starbuck. "Here on Galactica we still can talk as we want to. Martial Law does not exist here. Although I'm sure Tigh would like to declare it again."

"Perhaps we should try it once. Might help you to shut up when you're told to!" another voice said angrily from the entrance. A young Marine woman was standing there and starred at her.

"Look, look, the infantry is entering the scene." Starbuck said quietly and rose from her chair. All talk in the room had ceased and some other pilots followed Kara's example and stood up.

"Redwing", the Marine said to the pilot who had spoken before. "Out!"

The pilot just nodded and left. For some seconds the Marine overlooked the scene, then went over to Starbucks table and took a seat. "I'm in!"

For a moment the pilots looked at each other, but finally Starbuck shrugged and dealt her the cards. The atmosphere in the room came to a normal and soon the chattering started again, while Starbuck, Hotdog, Racetrack and the Marine played.

"It's quite unusual that a Marine comes here", Starbuck finally said and changed a card. "What's your name, soldier?"

"What's yours?"

Starbuck thought for a moment. This Marine was quite bold.

"I'm Starbuck. Or Kara Thrace."

"Alexa." She said after a moment of silence without looking at her.

"Alexa? That's all?"

"You can call me Hammer, if you want to. That's all you'll get for the moment. I take two!"

"Didn't know you Marines use call signs too. So you're Hammer then?"

"I am." The Marine, Alexa, looked at her cards and smiled.

"Then what about your CO? I haven't seen him until now but I heard some of you calling him Ares, the god of war."

Alexa changed a card and then looked at her briefly and cold. "He isn't the CO yet. Major Talos is still alive, but I'm afraid he won't make it much longer. And Ares? God or Demon, depends on who you ask."

"What does that mean?"

"It means: It depends, if you ask his men or if you ask the Cylons he…"

"Captain Duney!!" Somebody shouted from the open hatch and Alexa immediately jumped up. Another Marine stood there, a young man with black hair and grey eyes. He stood there for some more seconds and then came over to the table.

"I told you to watch your mouth, Hammer!" he hissed at Alexa, who apparently was Captain Duney.

"Come on, I was just going to tell them some old war stories. Starbuck, this is Major Michael Tigh, better known as Ares. Major, Captain Kara Thrace, also known as Starbuck."

"I've heard of Captain Thrace", Michael said in a neutral tone, then turned back to Alexa. "I think it'd be better if you leave now, Captain. Today's begin of the training exercises."

Alexa looked at him for some moments, then nodded and left. Tigh wanted to follow her.

"Major Tigh?" He stopped at Hotdogs voice and turned around. "Are you…do you know Colonel Tigh?"

"I do", Michael said and sighed inwardly. He had been asked this question about a hundred times the previous day. "He's my uncle."

"Why the heck didn't he tell me?" asked Starbuck into the following silence, but more for herself than for the others. "One-eye still has his secrets."

The blow hit her by surprise and sent her of her chair and on the floor. She quickly recovered and stood up. She looked at Michael Tigh with a mixture of amusement and anger while massaging her jaw.

"That wasn't a fair one", she growled.

"You've been told to watch your mouth, Captain" Michael answered with a mean smile. "And I carefully advise you to do so, especially when you're talking about my family!"

"Right!" she snarled and attacked. They exchanged some kicks and blows but none of them hit their target. The other pilots in the room shouted encouragement for Starbuck and laughed at the unexpected entertainment until somebody just as unexpected entered.

"What the hell you two think you're doing!" yelled Colonel Tigh with all his force. "Stop it immediately or you will not leave the brig until next Colonial Day!!"

Both opponents stopped for a moment at his voice, but while Michael was still surprised and looking at his uncle Starbuck saw her chance and landed a right hook which caught him off guard and sent him to the floor were he rested for some moments and shook his head.

"Hey, Saul", Kara said with a grin and looked at her friend.

"Come on Starbuck. Was that really necessary?" The older Tigh shook his head in disapproval.

"Don't know, but it was fun!"

"I'm so pleased you two know each other, but could someone help me up, please?" Michael Tigh looked from one to another until his uncle helped him up and back on his feet. "Good hit, Captain."

"Thanks. Do I have to report to the brig?"

"Not today", the Colonel answered for his nephew. "We'll need on CAP, so get your ass out of here and prepare."

"Aye, aye, Sir!" Kara left and was inwardly very relieved.

At the same time Saul Tigh looked at Micheal with a sly grin. "So, you've just got to know Starbuck. Must have been a nice encounter!"

"That's one hell of a woman!" Michael said and grinned back. "I want to know her better!"

* * *

Review please?


	4. Chapter 4

Thx for your FB once again. I know I'm not posting very often, but as I said, being in the service takes a lot of time.

Anyway, I hope your still reading and thanks again!

* * *

"_Tango one, Tango one, this is CIC!_" Michael Tigh heard Gaeta's voice through his headset. "_We have reports of Centurions in the hangar bay and in the sectors twelve and fourteen. Until now we've lost every contact to these sectors. Secure these areas immediately!_"

"Roger, CIC, we're on the move!" Tigh answered and allowed himself a smile before he informed Captain Duney over radio and ordered her to take care of the two other attacked sectors. He shouted: "Lieutenant Angarus! Take your men and move forward! We have to clean the hangar bay! I'll follow you with Lieutenant Kershaw. Move out!"

Angarus just nodded and exchanged some words with his squad leaders, and then his platoon started moving. Tigh, or Ares, as his Marines called him, followed him with the rest. They moved slowly, but they didn't miss a single enemy in their path and from time to time gunfire announced another Cylon attacking or being attacked: The war had come inside the Galactica now.

Ares wanted every area they entered to be secured, before he allowed his soldiers to advance and like this they spotted two traps early enough to kill their enemies before they did the same with the Marines. Still, they were too slow.

"_Tango one, Tango one, this is Galactica Actual!_" Adama's voice sounded worried. "_We have new DRADIS contacts, a Basestar has just jumped in and we can't launch our Vipers as long as you have not gotten into this hangar bay. You'll have to move faster, the pilots are already on the way to you and I need them to get into their cockpits._"

"Sir, if we move faster we'll have to take a much bigger risk." Ares didn't like the Old Man's idea. "Why can't we jump?"

"_The Colonial One has problems with its FTL. We moved between the President's ship and the Raiders, but I need my Vipers out there. Get me my hangar deck back, Major, now!_"

"Okay, boys and girls! We have a Basestar at our door! We have to clean the way for the pilots so they can launch Vipers ASAP! We're close to the bay now, so be careful. Kershaw, you take the lead. Y-formations! When we're in the bay you'll enter the lower level and clean it out, I'll stay on the upper level with Angarus and we'll deliver suppressing fire. Any questions?" Nobody said a word. "Okay, then go!"

They advanced again, at a forced rate this time, and reached the hatch to the hangar deck in short time. No enemies were in sight and for the first time since this hand to hand battle had begun Ares had the slight feeling they'd actually make it. It didn't last long.

When the first Marine opened the hatch he was greeted by dozens of bullets. The first three men who tried to enter the bay were immediately killed and the few who managed to get in there had to stay behind their covers, none of Angarus soldiers managed to get to the lower level. Ares couldn't make out how many Centurions were there but it was clear they had no chance of taking them out in the short time left. He took some blind shots and crouched behind a trussed girder, sweat running down his face and heart racing. This didn't look good.

"Admiral, this is Tango one!" he screamed into his radio. "We've reached the hangar bay, but we can't advance. Centurions are all over the place and we're stuck on the upper level. Request backup!"

"_Backup negative, Major, all forces are needed were they are. Try to take them out as fast as possible; the Basestar is only about a minute away. CIC out."_

Ares swore and peeked out of his cover. Two Centurions had fallen, but four of his men had paid the price for their deaths. He turned around and wanted to yell his orders to Lieutenant Kershaw who still kept shooting at the enemy out of his cover but in this moment he felt a light hit and his training gear started to bleep.

"Frak!!" He turned around again and saw two 'Centurions' advance from the other side of the upper level gallery, shooting at everything that moved. The Marines, now attacked from two sides had no chance to escape one by the other they looked at their bleeping gear, swore and sat down with an angry expression on their faces. The whole attack didn't take more than half a minute and all Marines were neutralized. Silence fell over the whole scenery, only disturbed by a nasty comment of one of the soldiers.

"I just received word", the Admirals voice finally came out of the ship wide, "that we're all dead. The exercise's terminated. The Majors Adama and Tigh, Captain Thrace and Lieutenant Wilkes report to my office in thirty minutes. Service as usual for the rest of the crew. That's all."

* * *

Half an hour later thefour officers were standing in the Admiral's office and waited for the things to come. Michael and Apollo did not look very pleased, on the other side Starbuck and Lieutenant Wilkes, one of Galactica's original Marines, were smiling and seemed to enjoy the situation. Finally the Admiral who was still sitting behind his deck, spoke.

"This training exercise was meant to test the abilities of our forces in the worst case. Starbuck, from your point of view, what happened out there?"

"I've led an attack fleet of eleven Vipers and three Raptors, the Vipers simulating Cylon Raiders and the Raptors Heavy Raiders. CAP engaged about seven clicks from Galactica's position and took out one Raptor. At the time the alert Vipers were launched the other two Raptor came close enough to Galactica and so our 'Centurions' could enter the ship. The Raptors were out of the game after that."

"What happened afterwards?"

"Galactica's Vipers engaged and both sides had similar losses until the end of the exercise."

"Major Adama?" The Admiral looked at his son, asking for an additional opinion.

"I've nothing to add, Sir." Lee answered. "When the exercise began Starbuck's forces were already too close for an effective defence. They 'jumped' nearly on top of us and except the alert Vipers we received no backup."

"This brings me to you two." William Adama glanced at Wilkes and the young Tigh. "Lieutenant Wilkes, you commanded the Marines who played the roles of Centurions."

"Yes, Sir. We reconfigured the training gear so that my men could take eight hits until they were neutralized. It's not exactly how it would work with a real Cylon, but it gives you a good idea."

"What happened?"

"We started in two troops, one in the hangar bay and the other near the third maintenance hall. Major Tigh's forces quickly engaged and drove us back until we could react. I waited in the hangar bay with most of my troop and Sergeant Hoyt with his men near the sickbay. The Marines followed us and I presume they lost general view and control. For example, Major Tigh was neutralized by two of my 'Centurions' who had waited near the entry to a ventilation shaft his men did not secure. Same happened to most of the Marine forces."

"That's why no backup was coming, when my pilots couldn't get to their Vipers", Apollo said and looked at Ares.

"You want to say anything, Major?" The Admiral's gaze held no indictment but it seemed to Michael there was a slight spark in the older man's eyes. Still he rested serious.

"No, Sir. The Lieutenant is right. We lost control over the situation…basically I lost control. We're not yet fully accustomed to the Galactica. It's a little bit bigger than the _Autumn of War."_

"It is, indeed. But still, Major, you died and with your failure Galactica was destroyed because our defence could not react. I've heard you know how a Cylon boards an enemy ship." There was no emotion in the older Adama's voice anymore and Michael slightly trembled at the memories his words evoked. "It's dangerous to the whole ship and it's deadly, so prepare your men, Major. We will repeat this exercise and I expect you to win next time!"

"Yes, Sir!"

"Good. Now", The Admiral looked from one to the other, "we've made mistakes today and mistakes mean dead people. Analyze your tactics and try to prevent your weak spots in the future. Dismissed!"

The four officers saluted and left the room in silence.

* * *

"Well, Major, how is it?" Starbuck asked and took a seat. "On the other side, I mean."

"If you do not crave for another black eye, Captain, I suggest you better shut up!" Michael Tigh snarled and took another drag of his cigarette.

"Okay, whatever. But you've already spent half of the night sitting in this rec room and looking at those blue prints. You won't memorize Galactica in one night; I speak from my own experience."

"And what do you suggest, Captain?"

"Well, I'm going to meet your uncle and I thought you might join in and bring some of these cigarettes of yours." The blonde pilot smiled.

"I don't know", Michael sighed, "Adama wants me to run several exercises and I have to know the ship better before I can do that."

"He's more patient than you think", Starbuck said and grinned, "Come on, it will do you no good if you stay here all night."

"Okay" the young Marine finally gave in and stood up. "You're right, let's go."

Even though it was 'night' Galactica was full of live. It was hard to tell the difference between night and day on a warship anyway and being at war made it only worse. People were everywhere and everything seemed to be just as usual.

"Hey, Starbuck, where are you going?" A pilot in the rank of a Captain appeared out of the blue.

"Tigh's", Starbuck answered short-spoken, then stopped in her path. "By the way, Major, this is Captain Karl Agathon, you might call him Helo as well, Helo, Major Michael Tigh, also called Ares."

"Nice to meet you, Captain", Michael said as they shook hands.

"Nice to meet you, too, Major. It's good to have you with us. Kara, can you tell Tigh Sharon and I will have to come by? She's a little bit late from her scouting mission and he wanted to talk to her as soon as she gets back."

"I'll tell him, don't worry. See you later!"

"Yeah okay, bye. Good night, Major."

They parted and soon afterwards they entered Saul Tigh's quarters.

"Where the hell have you been so long, Starbuck?" The older man greeted them. "And you brought the new guy with you. How was the exercise today, Major?

"Don't ask" Michael waved aside. "I died."

"I've heard that!" Tigh said and grinned, visibly greatly amused, then took a bottle out of his desk. "Means you could need some of this?"

"Gods, I've been dreaming of that stuff!" the younger Tigh exclaimed.

"And I've been dreaming of good cigarettes. Heard you might have some?" Michael gave him his packet. "Where did you get those?"

"We cleared out a space supply dump of the Special Forces and it was a huge one. There was everything we needed, from guns to equipment to cigarettes and food. But" he winked and drank some more, "no ambrosia!"

"You won't have that problem here" Starbuck laughed and lit her cigarette with great pleasure. "Our Chief runs his own brewery."

And so they spent about an hour talking and drinking. Michael told them about the journey of his fleet, Major Talos aggravating condition and discussed with Starbuck about the new pilots she and Apollo had to introduce to the daily routine on Galactica.

Suddenly there was a knock on the hatch and Captain Agathon entered, followed by a young woman in a flight suit. His uncle and Starbuck greeted them and told them to sit down, but when Michael saw the woman he went pale, but resisted the urge to jump up. Apparently the others didn't know. He forced himself to stay calm, until Agathon and the woman would be close enough.

"Colonel, you wanted to see us after Sharon's Recon."

Not yet.

"That's right, we could need supplies. It's no emergency, yet, but the Old Man wants the Raptors to keep an eye on possible planets. What have you found, Athena?"

Just a little bit closer. He knew how fast they could be. Keep waiting, Ares!

"I've found nothing", the woman said and handed some photos to Starbuck. "This asteroid belt might give us a possibility for minerals, but nothing more. Colonel, I…"

Now she was definitely close enough! Michael jumped up and hit her in the face, hard. In the same move he drew his gun and aimed at the stumbling Cylon. Just when he pulled the trigger Captain Agathon launched himself at him and the bullet, instead of killing the Cylon, hit the wall. For some brief moments Ares and Helo struggled with each other, but the younger Tigh kicked the Raptor pilot in the stomach, even harder this time, and sent him off across the room with another hit. He spun around and aimed at the Cylon again, but Starbuck, who had not tried to attack him, had instead pressed the Cylon against the wall and shielded it with her own body. The blond pilot looked over her shoulder right into his eyes.

"Don't!" It was barely a whisper but Ares could hear it. Behind his back the Colonel and Agathon, who just got on his feet again, seemed not to know what to do now.

"Get out of my line, Starbuck!" Michael's voice was cold. He'd been in this situation before. "She's a Cylon agent!"

* * *

Anybody here? Yeah? Okay, how about a review then ;) 


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you all for your interest and your FB, and sorry for the delay, but as I already said, being in the service and writing at the same time does not always work very good.

However, I hope you're still out there and here is a new little piece for you.

* * *

"What the hell are you doing! We all know Athena!" The older Tigh tried to control his voice. It suddenly dawned on him why his nephew acted like this.

"No, you don't!" Michael's voice was sharp and loud and his gun still aiming at Sharon, but he couldn't risk hitting Starbuck by accident. "She isn't human! She's a cylon sleeper agent and she… try and I shoot you immediately, Agathon!"

Karl had tried to get himself into a position to launch himself at the young Major, but Michael was too experienced to not see it and shot the Captain a threatening look. Fortunately Karl did not try to test the young man's reactions.

"We know she is a Cylon!" Starbuck turned around and faced the younger Tigh, but she still shielded Sharon who stood at the wall and watched the whole scene with anxiety. Why had nobody told this idiot she was onboard? It was a miracle none of the newly arrived colonials had seen and attacked her already. She quickly exchanged a glance with Karl, but neither he nor the Colonel were in a position to do anything. Starbuck continued: "We know she is a Cylon and that means you will not shoot her, got that? She's a member of our crew, so please; holster your weapon, before somebody gets hurt."

"You gotta be kidding me!" Michael's voice was low now; his eyes shoot between Kara and Sharon. "Saul, what the frak are you playing here?"

"It's as Starbuck just told you. Athena is a member of Galactica's crew, and yes, we now she's a Cylon." The Colonel in Saul Tigh finally regained control. "And now, Major, you will holster your weapon and stop threatening people in my quarters! Now!!"

A few seconds long it seemed as if Michael would refuse the order and Starbuck almost thought he would shoot when he finally nodded and lowered his gun. For some seconds he seemed to examine Sharon, before he holstered the sidearm and turned to face his uncle.

"Keep her here!" was the only thing he said, before he grabbed his cigarettes from the table and went over to open the hatch.

"Where are you going?" Karl asked and Kara was surprised how little anger she heard in his voice. Probably he was just grateful to have his wife back in his arms without any damage done to her. Kara had to admit that the younger Tigh was much more dangerous than she had thought.

"I will inform my men that you are keeping a toaster on this ship. It's a frakking miracle she has not been killed yet. Keep her here, until you can escort her to her quarters with Galactica's Marines." Michael opened the hatch. "Oh, and by the way, Eight, try not to get in my or my men's sight if possible. We have certain reflexes concerning your model!"

With that he left and closed the hatch.

* * *

„They have WHAT?"

„Stop shouting, Hammer, for fraks sake!" Michael hissed at Captain Duney. „And yes, I said they have a Cylon onboard, an Eight. It's name is Sharon Agathon. It's a Raptor pilot in Galactica's flight squadron and it's married to Karl Agathon, one of the senior officers."

„They gave it a name? It's piloting one of their Raptors and there is a sick bastard who married it?" One of the lieutenants shouted. „Gods, are they crazy? The only thing you do with a Cylon is throwing it out of the airlock!"

After he had left his uncle's quarters, the younger Tigh had gathered as much information as he could get about the Cylon and then had assembled his officers in the mess of the Autumn of War and had informed them about Sharon. As he had expected, they were shocked at first, now disgusted and angry.

„I'm gonna shoot it the first time I see it!" Hammer muttered under her breath.

„It's not that simple." Michael said. „The worst I kept for myself until now. Apparently this eight is not only a member of the crew but she and Agathon…do you remember what we thought when we found the first farm?"

„We wanted to kill all of these frakking toasters as slowly as possible, Sir!", one of the platoon leaders said and shuddered at the memory."

„Right, but we also thought how stupid the Cylons had to be to believe they could actually reproduce."

For a moment all the men and women in the room looked at him curiously, then it dawned on them.

„You can't possibly mean…no, Ares, oh no!" Hammer shook her head in defiance and rose from her chair. „No, no, no!!! Godsdammit, this is not possible! Don't you tell me they have a kid!!"

„Watch your mouth, Captain! I'm still your superior! And don't think I like this! You all know why I'm called Ares, how I got this name. You all know there is nothing I hate more than these frakking toasters, but yes, apparently they were successful with their experiments. Captain Karl Agathon and this eight have a child, born by the Cylon model, half human, half Cylon."

„Have the Gods no mercy?" Lieutenant Sarah „Fury" Velarez, the former CAG of the refugees' Vipers, whispered, then she looked at Ares. „What are we going to do, Sir?"

„Nothing. Yet"

„I'm sorry? Did you just say, we will do nothing?"

„I said we will not do anything until we know more about the situation", Ares corrected her. „Apparently it's earned the trust of the crew."

„Yeah, I'm sure it has!" Hammer laughed bitterly.

„So I'm supposed to work with a Cylon, do I get that right?" Velarez asked and rose from her chair. „I HAVE TO WORK WITH A FRAKKING CYLON!"

„Don't forget who you're talking to, Fury!" Michael warned her. „I know it is not…"

„No you don't know!" Velarez shouted with tears in her eyes. „You don't know anything at all!"

„I know you lost your daughter when they attacked the colonies" Michael answered in a dangerously low voice. „I know you nearly passed out when you were in a farm for the first time. And I know the thought of a Cylon having a kid while yours died is almost too much for you to bear. Am I right?"

Velarez just looked at him, tears streaming down her cheeks, a helpless look in her eyes. Without a word she sat down and starred at the floor.

„We can't just let this be!" Hammer insisted after a moment of silence.

„And we won't" Ares assured her. All officers in the room looked at him with a sudden interest. Even Velarez. „We are officers of the SRTS; we're the last of the Silent Response and Tactical Squad. We're trained to defend the people of the twelve colonies, if necessary with our lives. We're not some common marines or pilots, we are the elite. I have not seen my comrades die on Aerelon to accept now one of those who pulled the trigger is living on the same ship I do and if anybody says otherwise I will teach him a little lesson. Admiral Adama is our commanding officer, that's a fact we will accept as soldiers of the colonial military. But if he really wants this Cylon in his ranks we will have to react. Until then you will tell your men what I told you. This eight is enlisted as officer of the colonial fleet and they will work with it if necessary. I hope we will find a solution, but if we have to intervene it will be me who decides. Don't worry" Michael said with a mean smile. „You know how my unit is called. Perhaps I will have to introduce my Reapers to the Admiral.

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

Yup, I know it has been some time, but still I hope you're out there.

Thank you for your feedback and of course I hope for more!

Enjoy

* * *

Major Talos died a week after his refugees had found Galactica. Cottle meant his body had just become too weak and his heart had stopped while he was sleeping. Throughout the fleet the announcement of his death caused dolor, but for his Marines and pilots it was a shock although they had known for some time this would happen. 

Almost every Captain of the fleet was present at his funeral on Galactica's flight deck. When Ares hold his short speech and the body of his former CO was given to space and to the Gods he saw tears in many eyes, most of them shed by Talos' former subordinates.

After the ceremony he locked himself in his new quarters, sat down and starred at the wall. He had no idea how he should handle this whole situation.

He had been sitting there for about an hour when a knock on the hatch caused him to draw his attention to the reality. It was Starbuck. She still wore her A-class uniform and looked at him with concern.

"May I come in?"

"Be my guest", he invited her and let her in. "You want a drink?"

"Yes, thank you."

He filled two glasses and handed her one, then sat down again and waited for her to begin. He had an idea why she was there and he didn't like it.

"I see you've met the chief" she finally said and took a seat opposite him.

"You could say so. Although I have to say he's a better CPO than a brewer."

"In these days you have to take whatever is there."

"What do you want, Starbuck?"

"Talk."

"Then do it."

"What is your problem?"

"I don't think I'm ready for this." He was surprised how good it felt to finally say this loud.

"I know, but you'll handle it, I'm sure."

"Thank you. But that's not why you're here, right?"

"Right, I'd like to talk about your men."

"Why, did you have trouble with Velarez?"

"Fury? No, not at all." She shook her head. "She's one of the most disciplined women I've ever met. And after all that's the problem."

"Since when has discipline been a problem in the military? Not everyone can be a Starbuck, you know."

"Or an Ares" she replied quickly and grinned at his asking expression. "I've heard some stories about you, too. No, seriously, most of your pilots are…I don't know, sometimes I think they're robots. They do exactly what they're told to do but they seem to be cold as ice. And same goes for the Marines, the deckhands, almost every one of your men."

"Ever heard of post traumatic stress disorder?"

"Oh come on, don't give me that crap! You know as well as I that those with a psychological problem have been assigned to a psychologist. The one's I'm talking about are perfectly healthy, so why don't you just tell me what the frak is going on, because I will not fly with a pilot if I don't know he can be trusted or not!"

"These men and women have fought with me for months, Captain!" His voice was now loud and aggressive. "Every one of them would die to protect this ship and this convoy. Don't you ever again doubt their loyalty. If somebody could be mistrusted it is your friend Agathon and his so-called wife. I've seen men being slaughtered by others of her race, killed while they couldn't even defend themselves anymore. And you not only keep her here, you give her a Raptor, you give her the rank and the privileges of an officer and you really expect us to accept it? If you'd been on Aerelon you'd probably understand why were so cold when it comes to the cylons. It kept us alive."

"I've been on Caprica, thank you." Starbuck looked at him with the eyes of a predator. She didn't mention the incident in his uncle's quarters; it was already a rumor throughout the ship. "And it sure as hell wasn't easy to accept Athena within our ranks, but she's proved herself several times, in fact she saved us more than once."

"How come you're sure this isn't part of a plan?"

"What sort of plan?"

"They have always a plan; you should know this by now." He sighed and stood up to refill their glasses. When he sat down again he felt calm again. Perhaps it was a good idea to talk about this; it felt better than always hiding the thoughts. "My men work with everyone at the best of their abilities, that includes also the E…Lieutenant Agathon. If they cause you problems, tell me, so I can talk with them. But you can't expect them to be happy to work with her. She has the face of the enemy. For the rest: It's a new ship and new superiors and Major Talos' death doesn't make it easier for them. I'm a very young Major, Starbuck, and I don't know if they will trust me from the beginning. They need time to become accustomed to all this. Be a little bit patient."

"I can't promise." Starbuck drank out and stood up. After all she didn't seem to be angry anymore. "Give Athena a chance to prove herself, you'll see she's okay."

She turned to leave and opened the hatch when she looked back at him: "Besides, I think your Marines got a good new CO, Major."

For a long time the young Michael Tigh starred at the closed hatch and thought about her words. And about the woman Kara Thrace.

* * *

Two hours later 

"How are our new pilots doing?" They were in the Admirals quarters going over some of the latest paperwork. Bill Adama watched his son's reaction closely but Lee kept his calm face, as always.

"Not bad, they have to warm up a bit, but with a little bit of time that shouldn't be a problem."

"And the others?"

"Same. The Chief says the deckhands are well trained and they have a good discipline. As for the Marines I cannot say, they're under Major Tigh's command. But until now I didn't hear anything negative."

"Sounds strange, doesn't it?" The Admiral smiled slightly. "Major Tigh. I always expect to see a younger Saul when I hear it."

"Yeah, kind of weird", Lee agreed. "He's also very young for a Major."

"Talos apparently trusted him and his actions so far justify his position. But I'd like to see him in combat before I'm sure."

"I'd say he's seen enough of war."

"We all have, but I want to now if the months on Aerelon have made him mentally weak, uncontrolled. That's the advantage of pilots. If we die, we die quickly and if a wingman dies all we see is an explosion. The infantry is a much bloodier and crueler job."

"Watch it, Dad, you seem like starting to like the infantry." Lee said it with a grin, although he knew exactly what his father was talking about. The few missions he'd had without his Viper were more than enough for him. He didn't want to think about what the Aerelon refugees had seen in their time on a cylon-occupied planet.

"We need them as they need us. But there's nothing wrong with being proud of our own job. Okay, anything else…"

"_Action stations, actions stations!_" Dee's voice was to hear throughout the ship. "_Unknown DRADIS contacts, I repeat, all hands action stations!_"

"They found us!" Lee hissed through clenched teeth while they jumped up and made their way to CIC and flight deck.

"What happened" the Admiral shouted over the hectic noise of the ship preparing for battle.

"Two Basestars jumped right within DRADIS reach" the Colonel informed him. CAP is ready to intercept and Vipers are launched this very moment. The fleet is preparing to jump to escape coordinates!"

"Very good, how long to contact?"

"The first Raiders will meet our Vipers in ninety seconds."

Bill watched the increasing number of Vipers appearing on DRADIS and flying towards the large number of red contacts marking the Cylon Raiders. When green and red started to mix he knew the fight had begun, but Galactica was to far from it to intervene. He listened to the voices of his pilots on wireless and hoped his son and Kara would make it home again.

"New contacts!" Gaetas sounded extremely excited, "Eight enemy vessels, sector three-nine-five-Echo!"

Everyone in CIC looked at the DRADIS screen and several officers gasped for air.

"Frak!", Tigh exclaimed, "they jumped right behind us. Our Vipers won't be here at time. How long until the fleet has jumped?"

"Most of the ships are away, but Colonial One has problems with its FTL-Drive."

"Mr Gaeta, bring us between the newly arrived Raiders and Colonial One" the Admiral ordered. "Prepare Point defense, KEW and flak and tell our Vipers to come home, they must defend the President's ship. How long until we engage with the new Raider group?"

"Sixty seconds, and Sir, these are Heavy Raiders."

"How many of them?"

"All eight, Sir."

Adama and Tigh looked at each other, thinking the same.

"Dee, inform Major Tigh and his Marines that we're about to be boarded!"


	7. Chapter 7

Hm, dammit, I actually didn't want such a delay, sorry for that.

And thank you for your feedback once again, it's always nice to have people doing that. So, I hope somebody's still out there and reading this. You want to know how the boarding is going on? Okay, here you go...

* * *

"Kershaw, take your men to the aft damage control and the secondary fire control. If they want to try same thing as last time, we will be prepared. If you have time you can pass by the armory and try to get some explosive rounds. If not, you know what to do!"

"Aim for the eye, Major", Kershaw nodded. "I know. Alright boys, let's move out!!"

Michael allowed himself a few seconds to watch Lieutenant Kershaw gather his platoon, before he returned his attention to the other waiting platoon leaders. Kershaw was the oldest Marine officer in this unit and surprisingly had taken the news of Ares being his new CO very well.

"Alright, for you others: Hammer, you go to flight deck, when the Vipers are back you have to protect the pilots at all costs. Their lives are more valuable than ours!"

"Got it."

"Good. Platoons three to five, patrol and Recon. Lieutenant Angarus. You will post your men outside CIC."

"Roger that, Ares."

In that very moment Galactica's flak-cannons could be heard opening fire and only seconds later two heavy impacts rocked the ship.

"Alright then, here they are!" At these words several of the Marines who were waiting for their platoon leaders to give them orders looked at the young Major. "This is it! Don't let them come close and protect this ship with your lives! Pray to the Gods and ask the demons for help! Now move out! No more time for sitting around!"

"Hoo-ya!"

* * *

CIC

"Two made it, Admiral." Surprisingly Dee's voice was calm. She of all in CIC knew best how it was to face a Centurion except for the XO and the Admiral, perhaps. "I don't know yet where they impacted exactly."

"No wonder", Tigh growled. "Everybody who would know is most certainly dead by now."

"What about the Vipers and Colonial One?" Adama's question drew the attention from the boarding party to their second big problem.

"Colonial One is loading FTL, they'll be away in a moment. Vipers are coming home."

"Casualties?"

"Not known yet, Sir."

"As soon as the President's ship's away we will jump, Mr Gaeta, start the clock! What about the Marines?"

"Several platoons deployed at aft damage control, flight deck and sick bay." Ares had entered CIC. "Lieutenant Angarus here will protect CIC. I have several patrols all over the ship, but no sign of them yet, Sir. How many made it trough the flak?"

"Two Heavy Raiders, Major. We don't know where their passengers are."

* * *

"What the hell did you do to my Viper this time, Starbuck?"

"Don't even start it, Chief!" The blonde pilot climbed down the ladder at the side of her Viper. The ship had jumped away seconds before, but she still felt the adrenalin in her veins. "This was a bad one!"

"Anyone left behind?"

"Don't think so, but it was a close call!" Starbuck thought back to the last minutes in space. She couldn't remember one of her fellow pilots dying, but it had been utter chaos out there, so she couldn't really be sure about it. "Cally, how many birds made it home?"

"From what I can say until now all of you made it, but we have to wait until we got all Vipers back on deck."

"It's okay, I'll wait over there."

"No, you won't, Captain." A Gunnery Sergeant appeared at her side ignoring her angry glare she shot him. "We will escort you and the other pilots to your bunk room."

"Thank you, Gunny, but I'll stay here."

"This isn't a request, Ma'am. We've received order from CIC to protect you and bring you back to your quarters."

_Protect? From wh__at?_

"Dammit, Sanders!" a female voice shouted from Starbuck's left. "Will you bring her here now or do I have to do it myself?"

There, standing on a box with ammunition, was Captain Duney watching the two of them. Around her at least one platoon of Marines had gathered every pilot on the flight deck. The black clad soldiers had formed a sort of circle around Lee and the others and kept an eye on all hatches on the deck. When Starbuck joined her fellow pilots Duney cut of the chatter with a loud whistle and then looked at Lee.

"Is everyone here, Major Adama?" Duney seemed determined, aggressive and a little bit nervous too. What was going on?

Lee looked around and nodded. Hotdog and Starbuck had been the last to join them. "They're all here. What now, Captain?"

"Okay, everyone listen up! As some of you may have noticed Galactica's been hit by two Heavy Raiders. We don't know yet how many Centurions made it trough but I've received reports" – she tapped on her headset – "from sick bay and aft damage control. Cylon forces are on this ship now so I and my Marines will escort you back to your quarters. You will do exactly what we tell you on the way there, every one of you. That includes you too, Major Adama."

Lee slightly nodded. It was clear that Duney, or Hammer as she was called, would hold them back, if they tried to do something on their own account. Galactica was the fleet's last line of defense and the Vipers were the only thing between the Cylon Raiders and Galactica. As hard as it sounded, his pilots' lives were more valuable than the Marines. And to be honest, he was quite glad of having them around; his last encounters with the tin cans had been quite enough for him.

"Okay, let's move out! Sanders, you lead the way!"

* * *

"Major Tigh, Sitrep." Adama stood at the table in the middle of CIC and glanced over at the Marine officer who talked in hushed tones to his XO.

"I have reports from sick bay and aft damage control, Admiral" the young man answered. "They're holding their position. Four Cylons down, as well as nine Marines."

"What about the rest of the crew?"

"We don't know. I'm sorry, Sir, but the Marines can't leave their positions. All I know is that Captain Duney is escorting the pilots to their rooms, they should be there in about four minutes."

"Four Centurions" Tigh shook his head. "Even if they lost some in the impact there must be more of them."

"Mister Gaeta!"

"Admiral?"

"Any reports from the crew about the Centurions?"

"Negative until now, Sir. We also did not have any reports about gunfire besides the ones in sick bay and aft damage control."

"So", Bill leaned against the table and consulted the graphics. "What the hell are they doing? Sick bay, flight deck, aft damage control, auxiliary fire control and any other vital section is secured and there are no signs of them. What are they doing?"

"Perhaps they wait until we drop our guard" Tigh murmured. "No, they know we'll search the whole ship before…what the hell!?"

At his last words gunfire could be heard and it was near.

"Angarus, Angarus" Michael Tigh shouted into his headset. "What is going on out there?"

He seemed to listen to the answer and then paled. Quickly he turned to Adama.

"Sir, Lieutenant Angarus' team is attacked. At least six Centurions are advancing from two different directions to CIC."

"Can you hold them of?" Michael shot a quick glance at his uncle and then shook his head.

"I'm afraid no, Sir. They were to close when we discovered them and there are too many. Reinforcements are on their way, but I honestly don't know if they reach us in time. Do you have weapons in CIC?"

"Apart from our sidearmes?" The older Tigh laughed bitterly. "None."

Michael gritted his teeth and considered his options, then grabbed his assault rifle.

"Then I hope we can hold them back. Sir, permission to leave CIC?"

"Granted", Adama simply said, then added: "Good hunting, Major."

"Thank you, Admiral" Michael replied and then stormed out of CIC.

* * *

"Stop!" Hammer's voice was only a whisper, but everyone, pilots and marines came to a halt immediately. They had made a long way from flight deck and until now had evaded the Centurions, but the longer their journey lasted the more everyone could feel each others nervousness. Now gunfire could be heard and it was close. Starbuck looked at Hotdog and shook her head. The young man was sweating and shivering with fear. She knew Constanza now for a long time and had never seen him like this. He apparently had never forgotten the last time Centurions had boarded their vessel. She shook her head again and looked at Lee who seemed to be in a harsh but almost silent discussion with Hammer. She approached them but heard only their last sentences.

"If CIC is attacked we must provide help" Lee insisted seemingly agitated. Hammer on the other hand just looked at him with cold eyes.

"I will not disobey my orders just because you think you can make a difference there, Major. I'm well aware of the fact that you are my superior but right now I don't give a shit. You will follow me to the bunk room or I will make you. You're a pilot, I'm a marine, and we are both soldiers. This isn't about who has the bigger balls, but about survival. Try to keep that in mind, SIR! Sanders, find us another way around those toasters. We have to go around CIC!"

Lee wanted to protest but Hammer ignored him and followed the gunnery sergeant. The others did too.

"Starbuck!"

"What is it?"

"CIC is attacked and from what I've heard it doesn't look good."

"So why don't we go there?"

"Hammer thinks the reinforcements well be there before we are, but she doesn't know exactly."

"So?"

"I think we should go there."

"You're crazy, Apollo. We don't have enough firepower to take on a Centurion." Starbuck chuckled and looked at him as if he had lost his mind. "And she's right, you know. It would mean to disobey a direct order. Major Tigh ordered her, and that means indirectly us too, to escort us pilots to our quarters. And in this situation he does actually outrank you."

"I know, but still…" Lee kept at it.

Kara looked at him for a few seconds and then sighed.

"For fraks sake, Apollo, you're gonna be my death one day, you know that?"

"Look who's talking."

"Okay, what are we gonna do?"

"At the next corridor we go off."

* * *

"Where are they gone?" The young marine peeked down the now empty corridor. There the scattered bodies of two Centurions were lying, as well as three dead marines. The smell of burning flesh and blood lingered in the air.

"They're not gone, they wait." Michael Tigh reloaded his rifle and inwardly cursed his bad luck. It was his last clip. He looked at the marine at his side. He was one of Galactica's original marines, Cord, if he remembered correctly. "They wait until we leave our covers and come after them."

"So we just wait."

"We can't. There are still two of them. We have to chase them and bring them down, before they can do more damage. Tucker, Butch, Shotgun?"

"We're all here." another marine answered.

"What about Lift-off?"

"I'm still here, Major" a female voice answered behind the cover where Tucker was.

"How do you feel?"

"I feel like a bullet tore up both my thighs, that's how." Despite her words Lift-off seemed to be in a quite good mood. "Don't worry, Ares, I'm gonna make it until the medics are here. Go get them."

"Okay, we move out. Tucker, you and me, we lead the way, the others follow. Don't get trigger-happy; there are still a lot of people here."

The five of them stood up and marched down the corridor, slowly, finger on the trigger. Now Ares was quite happy he had drilled his men again and again for such a scenario. They moved much more confidently and adapted themselves to the different rooms they passed. It had been worth all the work. Suddenly Tucker stopped and signaled to the others that he had found something. Before Ares could ask he knew what he meant. He could smell them. The smell of machinery and oil. The stink of Centurions. Right before them two corridors crossed, one with a closed hatch, a perfect place for the Centurions to hide and wait for him and his men. Unless they were discovered first.

Ares just wanted to give the order for an attack formation, when two people stepped out of the left corridor. The marines' weapons jerked, but nobody fired. Also the two pilots who seemed to be alone and had taken aim on him and his men in the first second of affright were aware enough not to pull the trigger. But only a second they could afford the feeling of safety. The hatch swung open and the two tall metallic figures of Cylon Centurions stepped out. The female pilot, Starbuck, let out a cry, but started firing immediately as did the other one, Major Adama. It had taken the Centurions about half a second to realize the situation and then they acted. One opened fire on Ares and his squad, the other one approached Starbuck and Apollo, claws open and ready to kill.

The marines opened fire as well and advanced at the same time. Their bullets did not bring down the Cylon, but they made him unsteady and it was almost impossible for the metal soldier to take proper aim. Nevertheless private Cord was hit in the shoulder and fell down to the floor with a muffled cry but Shotgun took his place immediately. After seconds that seemed to last years, one of the bullets finally found its way into one of the few weak spots of a Centurion, its red eye. The chrome figure stumbled and fell.

Starbuck and Apollo had not been that lucky. Their opponent seemed to be determined not to shoot them but to use his claws on the two humans before it. Their sidearms didn't have the force of an assault rifle and only slowed down the Centurion that came after them. When Ares had come past the fallen tin can and rounded the corner he could see the pilots retreating but he knew too well how fast the seemingly clumsy Centurions could be. In a matter of seconds it closed in on them and with one strike hit Starbuck. The blonde pilot cried out and stumbled and finally fell. Apollo stopped in his run and turned around to help her, but his clip was empty and he was too far away.

Kara rolled on herself around on her back, moaning in pain. The Centurion hadn't managed to slit her body, but the pure force of his blow had brought her down. She blinked through the tears in her eyes and looked up at the blurred figure of the Cylon standing over her, she heard Lee shouting and saw the Centurion striking out, but was unable to do anything. So this was it.

Suddenly something black struck the large Cylon throwing him off-balance. Ares had done the only thing he could think of. He couldn't shoot without endangering Starbuck or Apollo so he had launched himself at the metallic figure. The impact was no danger for the large Cylon soldier but he had to give up on Starbuck. But only for a second. With an unbelievable strong blow he threw Ares against the wall. The younger Tigh heard his bones breaking and almost lost consciousness. He fell to the floor, unable to move, pain overwhelming his thinking for a moment. When he opened his eyes again he saw the Cylon striking out for him and tried to avoid the blow but he was too slow. The metal claw dug into his shoulder and almost nailed his body to the wall. He screamed and tried to hit the Cylon although he knew it was a futile attempt.

The Centurion lifted him up and threw him away again like a doll. He fell to the floor lying on his stomach, unable to stand up or even move while his whole body was in terrible pain. He could hear his comrades shouting and firing their weapons. Now they finally could do so without putting him or one of the pilots in danger. A loud thud from behind him told him that the last Centurion had been killed at last. Almost immediately hands were on him, turning him around. He tried to suppress his screams of agony but was unable to.

The last thing he saw was the face of a blonde woman and Starbucks voice who said: "That was a damn stupid thing to do, Mister."

Then everything went black.

* * *

So, I know it has been quite a while, but if you read this and you just did because if not you wouldn't be reading this now, do you see that little button bellow? Yes? Okay, then please click on it.


	8. Chapter 8

So, here I am again. A little bit faster this time.

Thanks for your feedback, SnappleAddict. Hope you're still here.

Well, what does Adama think about people if he doesn't know about their loyalties? Read and find out!

* * *

"I have the reports, Sir." Saul Tigh was standing outside the Admiral's quarters.

"Come in." Bill turned away and walked to his desk and sat down. "Take a seat."

The Colonel closed the hatch and did as he was told. Finally Adama looked at him.

"What do you have?"

"The Raiders both impacted on deck seven, surprisingly close to each other. Apparently that was their goal anyway. From what Gaeta could tell me we lost a Division Chief and several deckhands there, exact number unknown. We can only guess but until now the people we're missing were almost certainly there."

"How much damage did they do to the ship?

"They pretty much banged us up there, but Chief Tyrol says he can patch it up in about two weeks. Nothing vital."

"Okay", Bill nodded and sighed. The worst part was about to come. The boarding had taken place two days ago and still the crew and the fleet were quite shocked. "What about the boarding?"

"Thirteen Centurions. They primarily attacked sickbay and CIC. On their way they killed twenty-three crewmembers and four marines. At sickbay we destroyed four of them but lost nine marines in the firefight. Two more tin cans were destroyed by marines and crewmembers in other parts of the ship, as it seems their mission was to let us spread out our forces. We lost one marine and two crewmembers there. Now, CIC. Seven Centurions attacked Lieutenant Angarus platoon. We were lucky these marines had been able to equip themselves with explosive rounds. Five Cylons were destroyed right outside CIC two others retreated. Four Marines were killed. The two retreating Cylons were followed and destroyed by Major Tigh and his men, but I'm sure you've already heard a detailed report from Apollo and Starbuck."

"I have" the Admiral said in a grave voice. He had not been happy about that particular incident. And even less after Captain Duney had filled him in about his son and Kara leaving Duney's marines without permission. He would have to deal with the two of them later. "Summary?"

"Eighteen marines killed as well as twenty-nine other crewmembers. A dozen injured and in sickbay. The ship will be at its full capabilities in about two weeks. The good news is: we lost no pilot and no aircraft."

"Forty-seven people dead" Bill repeated heavily.

"I know this was a bad day…" Saul agreed but Bill interrupted him.

"It was a bad day but still, much better than we could have hoped for."

"What do you mean?"

"Thirteen Centurions with an adapted tactic we did not see coming. We thought they would go after the auxiliary systems like they did last time and during the end of the Cylon War. But they didn't." The older Adama stood up and started wandering around. "They attacked sick bay and CIC for which we were not really prepared and still we made it with only forty-seven casualties, most of them crewmembers who were taken by surprise."

"The marines were up to their task." Saul couldn't help but feel a little bit proud for his nephew.

"They were indeed. How is Michael, by the way?"

"Still unconscious and in sick bay, but Cottle says it's only a matter of time for him to wake up."

"That's good news, Saul", Bill said and smiled. "That will be all for the moment, Colonel. Thank you."

Saul stood up as well and saluted before he turned for the hatch and left.

William Adama on the other side sat on his couch and considered his possibilities. He had been one of the most experienced officers of the Colonial fleet and had had access to information a Commander usually wouldn't have. One of these informations had been about a marine unit, the only marine unit who used call signs.

He got up again and called Colonial One. It took only seconds before he heard her voice.

"What can I do for you, Admiral?"

"I need to talk to you in private, Madame President. It's about our new people."

* * *

At first he only heard noises. People talking but he couldn't understand them. When he tried to open his eyes he was greeted by bright light that made his head hurt. Somebody said something and he felt a person at his side, touching him, but he still was too dazed to recognize anything.

"Where am I?" he asked but his voice was but a weak whisper.

"Sick bay, Major", a grumpy male voice informed him from his left side, the first sentence he understood clearly. Slowly he adjusted to the bright lights above him and could make out the figure of Doc Cottle standing aside him, smoking. "About time you woke up."

"What happened?"

"Well, from what I've heard you did a really brave and totally stupid thing, Major. Starbuck told me you wanted to take on a Centurion in a hand-to-hand fight. Not the brightest idea, I would say."

"Is she okay?" slowly the memories came back as well as his awareness. He could make out several beds with other patients in the room, some of them asleep or unconscious and others awake. He tried to sit up which caused a sharp pain in his right side and he fell back into the pillow with an angry and pain-induced hiss.

"Will you stay down until I tell you otherwise, godsdamnit?" Cottle glared at him. "And I thought pilots were the worst patients. First: Yes, Starbuck's okay; you wouldn't have asked if you knew her better. It needs more than a Centurion to bring this one down. Second: Your stupid stunt got you some nice bruises, a concussion and two broken rips. Your left shoulder should be okay after a while. No damage done to the bone but you lost a lot of blood. That's why you will stay down until we got you patched up and ready to leave, got it?"

"Yeah, whatever." Michael still felt weak but it got better. "Listen, I need to talk to Captain Duney, can you call her?"

"Don't need to. She's right over there." Cottle mentioned for one of the beds where somebody seemed to sleep. "Since the incident she always sleeps here. Says she wants to have an eye on the wounded marines. I'll wake her up while a nurse will have a look at you."

He left Ares' side and shortly talked to one of the nurses who nodded and then approached his bed. "Hello, Major. I'm Ishay. Would you mind if I have a look at your bandage?"

"Not at all, Ma'am." While the woman started doing her work he asked. "How bad is it? The situation, I mean."

"We lost a lot of good people, but we made it" Ishay said and smiled cheerless. "Thanks to you marines although you're lying here now."

"This one wouldn't be lying here if he wasn't so damn stupid" an angry voice cut her off. Captain Alexa Duney aka Hammer had appeared. She still looked a bit dozy and brushed a strand of her black hair out of her tanned face. "Hand-to-hand combat with a Centurion? Didn't know you have a death wish, Ares!"

"Keep it down, Hammer, it was the only way."

"To do what? To save two idiotic pilots who decided to leave without a word and go on a sightseeing tour while the ship was boarded?" She was definitely pissed off but Michael also could see the relief in her eyes. He waited for a few seconds and then nodded and said:

"Yeah, something like that."

"Okay, I'm done. You'll be out in a few hours, Major." Ishay said and left.

"Thank you, Ma'am."

"You're unbelievable, you know." Duney looked at him with sudden concern. "You easily could have died."

"I know. Sitrep." He wasn't going to argue with her.

"We lost eighteen marines and twenty-nine of the crew. No pilots."

"CIC?"

"All clear. None of the toasters made it there."

"Who did we lose?"

"Twelve SRTS and six of Galactica's marines. No officers but Sergeant Wood and Corporal Davis."

"Frak! They were good men."

"And all the others too. Seven marines are injured and not fit for duty, but they should be again in a few weeks. The ship's in good condition, a few scratches but nothing serious."

"Okay, thank you. That was good work, Alexa."

"We could have done better."

"You accomplished your mission, that's all what counts."

"Right." She stood there for a few seconds seemingly not sure what to do now, then finally she began: "You shouldn't have done that, you know. Leaving CIC and going into battle. You're the highest ranking of us. We lost Talos not long ago and it isn't easy for a crew or a team to lose the CO."

"And what about you?" The question took her by surprise and she searched for an adequate answer, but luckily she was saved by Starbuck who entered the sick bay in this moment, still wearing her flight suit. She'd been told that Major Tigh was awake when she came home from CAP.

"Look who's talking again!" the blonde pilot cheerfully exclaimed. Alexa face suddenly wore an expression of disdain as she watched her approaching.

"I'd better go now, Major. I'll come back later."

And before Michael could say anything she had left.

"What's up with her?"

"Well I think she believes you to be responsible for my current condition."

"Oh, come on! I didn't tell you to go on a boxing match with a tin can!"

"You forced me to, Captain. You did a stupid thing when you left the marine escort and I had to do an even more stupid thing to save you two."

"I've heard that already." She sighed, grabbed a chair and sat down beside him. "Look, I'm not here for your tirade. All I wanted to do is to say thank you."

"It's not a tirade, Captain, it's just a fact" he corrected her calmly and smiled. "Apology accepted"

"Hey, I did not apologise!" the blond pilot objected and hit him playfully on the arm which caused him to flinch. "Oh frak, I'm sorry, did that hurt?"

"It's okay" he assured her. "Just don't do it again."

"I'll try not to. So, when does Doc Cottle let you out?"

"He probably wants to run a few tests first, but in a few hours I should be free to go."

"Sounds good. Let me know when it happens. Apollo and I do owe you a thing or two, okay?." She stood up and turned to leave. At the hatch she quickly glanced back at him and left with a smile.

"Women!" Michael sighed partly in frustration. "I'll never understand you."

* * *

"Madame President."

"Yes, Tory?"

"The Admiral is here."

"Send him in" Laura said, wondering why she and Bill still followed the protocol so strictly.

Tory nodded and left the room and seconds later the older Adama entered. Roslin studied him during the few seconds she had and she understood why this man had gotten the nickname 'Zeus' throughout the fleet. It had certainly started because his son was called Apollo but there was more that made this naming appropriate. Even now when they were in private he wore his professional face. No emotion showing off. His eyes had scanned the room when he had entered and were now fixed on her. Yes, Zeus, father of the Gods, was definitely appropriate for this experienced soldier.

"Madame President."

"Admiral, it's nice to see you." She smiled and waited until he took a seat. "How are the repairs going?"

"Not bad. About two weeks and we're completely done."

"That's good to hear. But it sounded like there is a problem when you called me."

"Indeed there is something I'm worried about. The marines who were integrated in Galactica's crew use call signs."

"I thought this is something only the pilots are doing?"

"It is. I've only once heard about one particular infantry unit." He seemed uncomfortable. "I was a Commander at that time and there was a meeting at the fleet's headquarters. We talked about several problems on Aerelon and Sagittaron. There had been some terrorist attacks and we were discussing several possible solutions."

"What was the outcome?"

"Nothing. A Colonel of the Marine Corps came in and handed an order from the government to Admiral Hayse. After that the meeting was cancelled. All I know is that not a week later marines attacked several targets on Aerelon and destroyed most of the terrorists. But no order had been given from the headquarters; this came right from the government."

"So you're saying this was a…what do you call it in the military? A black operation?"

"Something like that, yes. The problem is that these particular marines did use extreme force and rumour had it that they did not follow the rules of engagement. There was talk about an investigation but it never came to it."

"Why not?"

"Because we couldn't find out what unit it had been. They simply did not exist. All we found out was that they used call signs, which no marine unit did."

Roslin looked at him for a few seconds and then stood up and went over to one of the portholes, looking out and thinking about what she just heard. Finally she spoke:

"So you're saying this was an illegal operation, ordered by the government itself and you have the people who did this or at least people from the same unit on your ship?"

"That's a possibility. I gave the order to Lieutenant Gaeta to find me some facts, if there are any. I don't want another witch-hunt on my ship. The marines under Major Tigh's command are mostly responsible for our quite small losses during the boarding, but they do act differently than most of the marines I know."

"Differently?"

"It's hard to describe. They seem to distance themselves a little bit from the crew, same goes for the new pilots."

"What are you going to do?"

"I will have a close look on this and if there's really something hidden we'll find it and then we must find a solution to it. I don't want armed men under my command if I can't be sure about their loyalties. I just wanted you to know."

"I understand. Thank you, Bill."

"Madame President." He turned and wanted to leave when her last question hold him back.

"You really never found out anything about the marines from Aerelon."

"Nothing useable. There was a rumour about a nickname they probably gave themselves, but no prove."

"A nickname?"

"Yes, apparently they called themselves 'Reapers'."

* * *

FB?


End file.
